5 Must-Have Apps for Managing Anxiety

You come home after work and feel like you’ve been anxious all day but didn’t pay attention. What happened?

It’s hard to focus on your thoughts and feelings 24/7; instead, we often get caught up in inner chatter. Many apps can help you snap out of it and soothe your anxiety. Some offer quick fixes, like guided meditations and rain sounds, while others, like Liven, help you reach a meta-conscious level and uncover the broader patterns behind your experiences.

5 Apps To Help You Take Anxiety Under Control

Rule of thumb: don’t fight your anxiety, as resisting it only creates more tension. Instead, accept it as a natural part of your psyche and learn to live with it. There are many techniques to help build a more supportive sense of self.

Here are the apps you should pay attention to:

Liven

When you wake up anxious, the whole day may go wrong. You may find yourself scrolling miles of content feeds on Insta and X, playing pointless match-three games, and eating compulsively. One day can spiral into a bad week, month, or life. Ok, that’s too dark. But hey! You’ve got this—don’t let anxiety take control over your life. Try Liven.

Liven is a self-discovery companion. It helps you step back and view your thoughts, emotions, and actions as part of your experience, not your selfhood. Track how your mood changes throughout the week to uncover the triggers that influence it the most. Check out their bite-size courses to help you understand how your mind works.

During the onboarding, you’ll answer questions shaping your well-being program. Develop a positive habit of checking in with yourself once a day to improve your well-being with small steps. And if you’re tired of the inner chatter and need a fresh perspective on life, talk to Livie, an integrated AI companion. She’ll help you break down your situations and suggest new ideas.

Here’s what Mylissa, one of the users, says about the app:

“I had never utilized an app to support my emotional health, but the simple act of following a set of actions is really helping me shift my perspective. Great tool!”

Calm

Quality sleep is essential when you’re dealing with anxiety.

The bad news is that we don’t have an adequate reference point for how tired we are when constantly stressed. The good news is there is Calm, an app that helps you understand how much sleep you need and create a set schedule to help balance your energy levels. The app offers sleep stories, sleep meditations, and music. It also comes with guided meditations to help soothe anxiety.

Calm is a perfect choice for busy minds.

I am daily affirmations

When was the last time you were kind to yourself? Dealing with anxiety involves reframing your self-talk. So, instead of repeating negative patterns like “I am incapable,” “I will fail,” and “I hate myself,” try to switch to something more pleasant. It’s a hard job, but it will pay off.

The app offers daily affirmations that can help you perceive yourself more positively. All you need to do is open the app occasionally and scroll through the affirmations it proposes. Some of them are: “I love myself,” “I’m becoming the person I want to be,” and “I have the power to change my story.”

Does this even work? Research says yes. Repeating positive affirmations impacts your subconscious, reinforcing new, healthier thought patterns.

Add positive affirmations to your daily routine—just a few minutes a day is enough. A good idea is also to repeat them right before falling asleep.

Rootd

Have you ever had a feeling that you’re losing it? Thoughts rushing around, you can’t eat, can’t sleep… When anxiety hits hard, it can even lead to a panic attack. And it can even lead you to get to the hospital. Seems daunting.

Rootd is a go-to solution. When you feel overwhelmed, open the app and press the red button. The app will ask you how you feel. If you’re not OK, Rootd will offer supportive words and phrases if you can put on your headphones and listen to the app guides. You might hear this: “Anxiety passes through you in waves. The waves will pass as quickly as they come.”

The app comes with a mascot, Ron, who will cheer you up as you go.

Headspace

The hardest thing about anxiety is stopping what you’re doing and taking five minutes to meditate.

But here comes Headspace, founded by Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk. The app offers guided meditations for any life event or process: dealing with anxiety, leaving home, coping with cravings, and finding focus.

How to use it? All you need to do is put on a meditation track of your choice, sit back, and relax. No big deal: just follow your breath and notice how you’re feeling. If you find it hard, count your breaths: one with the rising sensation, two with the falling one. No need to worry; your body knows how to breathe; you just need time to unwind.

When you download the app, it’s best to start with the Basics, learning the core principles of breathing and noting your feelings and thoughts.

Most apps offer free trials for you to get a sense of what they’re doing. Give them a try today—this may be the beginning of a more relaxed, carefree life.

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